Ryane Clowe (r.), then with the Sharks, fights with Zack Kassian of the Canucks in January. Clowe, who the Rangers picked up in a trade Tuesday, expects to be in the lineup Wednesday night against the Penguins.Getty Images

Power forward Ryane Clowe is the Rangers newest acquisition, and he’s expecting to be in the lineup Wednesday night when the first-place Penguins come to the Garden.

Clowe was obtained in a trade with the Sharks on Tuesday night, in exchange for a second- and third-round pick, plus a conditional second-round pick in next year’s draft. Having to waive his no-trade clause, Clowe had a choice of where to go, and chose New York.

“I put a lot of thought into coming here,” Clowe said at the MSG Practice Facility in Westchester after taking part in his first morning skate following a red-eye from San Jose. “I thought it’d be a real good fit here. I’ve been watching their games the last couple weeks, and I’ve always liked how New York played, the style they played. They have a lot of real good players, a good core. I think I’ll fit in real well.

“Coming down to the deadline, there were some options of where to go,” Clowe said. “I think New York was my first choice.”

Clowe’s spot in the lineup seems to be assured with rookies Chris Kreider and J.T. Miller both being sent back down to the AHL’s Connecticut Whale after the skate. It also means forwards Arron Asham and Darroll Powe will likely see time.

“We play so many close games, it’s just too many mistakes,” Tortorella said of Kreider and Miller after Monday’s win over the Jets.

“But, quite honestly, I’m worried about the two kids. Not that I’m upset with them, I just think the stakes are high, we play so many close games, and I just have to watch how they go through the game and, ‘Do I trust them?’ ”

Having scored zero goals through his 28 games with the Sharks, Clowe is going to try and pick his game up to help the Rangers, now in ninth place in the East and last in the league in scoring. He said his offense comes from being physical – he did have 79 penalty minutes for the Sharks – and that with his impending free agency, he hopes to make things work here and not be just a rental.

“I’d love to be here and be part of this and be here a while,” said Clowe, who carries a $3.625 million salary-cap hit for this season. “What happens, I’m not sure. The next month is going to be a sprint to finish here, so I have to make sure my game is where it needs to be, and if I’m playing at the top of my game, I can help this team and then we’ll go from there.”

Henrik Lundqvist will likely make the start in goal, and that winger Carl Hagelin – who was the only player to miss Tuesday’s practice for a “maintenance day” – will play.

“One-hundred percent,” Hagelin said of his physical status. “I’m good, ready to go.”

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After one practice with the Blueshirts on Tuesday, Swedish winger Jesper Fast was assigned to the Whale.